Expressions of interest for positions on the National Travel Industry Awards’ (NTIA) Custodian Council have opened, with the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) team to appoint five applicants to the roles.
Custodians will be charged with ensuring NTIA continues to embody excellence in ATAS members by “shaping and championing” the event in an advisory role.
Forming the first NTIA Custodian Council, the five custodians will represent the mobile/home-based network, retail agencies, corporate and online travel, tour operators and wholesalers, and cruise and air travel. Applicants will be asked to answer in 400 words or less why they think they would fit the role and what experience they have in managing an awards program.
AFTA CEO Dean Long said that while NTIA represents “an immensely popular celebration for the travel industry, we’re calling on travel professionals to self-nominate and not just assume someone else can do a better job than they can”.
“AFTA isn’t choosing NTIA Custodians in the same way we would select an NTIA Award winner – this is a new process for us too,” he said.
“Applicants will be chosen taking a number of factors into consideration including EOI responses. Our goal is to build a representative council that can work together with us to preserve the integrity of the NTIAs while making next year’s event a night to remember for the travel industry.”
AFTA wants YOU
Long added that the EOI process would allow each applicant to showcase what they can bring to the council “in the same way we streamlined the NTIA entry process for time-poor travel businesses this year”.
“If you know a shy travel professional, I encourage you to encourage them to put their hands up,” he said.
“The NTIA is all about celebrating excellence in the travel industry, but it’s also about celebrating each other as a travel community.”
Expressions of Interest can be lodged here.